This Date in Rock Music History: April 26

1960:  The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Dave Clark Five were the top performers at the NME poll winner's concert at Wembley Empire Pool in London.
1960:  Elvis Presley began filming for the movie G.I. Blues in Hollywood, California.  (Note:  Director Hal Wallis had shot footage in West Germany from August 17-29, 1969 of Presley's battalion on maneuvers and everyday activities.)

This Date in Rock Music History: April 25

1960:  Bill Black, the bassist behind Elvis Presley for his early Rock Era hits, had formed Bill Black's Combo and they took over on the R&B chart with "White Silver Sands".

This Date in Rock Music History: April 24

1957:  Ricky Nelson released his first single "Teenager's Romance" on Verve Records.  (Note:  some websites claim the song was released April 27.  We know that Ricky made his musical debut on April 10 before the single was released, and it debuted on the charts on May 13.  According to 'United Press International', Ricky released the single on April 24.)

This Date in Rock Music History: April 23

1963:  The Rolling Stones played at the Crawdaddy Club at the Station Hotel in Richmond, Surrey, England.

1964:  Peter and Gordon topped the U.K. Singles chart with “A World Without Love”.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 22

1955:  Elvis Presley was in concert at the New Boston High School Football Field in Texas.
1956:  Elvis made his Las Vegas debut at the Frontier Hotel in the first night of a two-week residency.  The artist who would become one of the most famous performers in Las Vegas history on this night though gave a miserable performance, and was booed off stage.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 21

1956:  Andy Williams debuted on the chart with his first career single, "Walk Hand In Hand".
1956:  Eydie Gorme debuted with her first career single on this date--"Too Close For Comfort".
1958:  The Champs ruled the R&B chart for a fourth week with "Tequila".
1962:  Mr. Acker Bilk moved to #1 on the Easy Listening chart with "Stranger On The Shore".

This Date in Rock Music History: April 20

1957:  "I'm Walkin'" from Fats Domino was #1 for a sixth week on the R&B chart.
1959:  Goldband Records released "Puppy Love" by 13-year-old Dolly Parton, a song she had recorded when she was 11.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 19

1956: Elvis Presley performed at the Civic Center Music Hall in the Municipal Auditorium in Oklahoma City, Texas.
1956: Clyde McPhatter of the Drifters was released from the U.S. Armed Forces.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 18

1956:  Elvis Presley performed in two concerts at the Fairgrounds Pavilion in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
1960:  Percy Faith spent a ninth week at #1 with the classic instrumental "The Theme From 'A Summer Place'".  The Brothers Four had #2 with "Greenfields", Paul Anka was at #3 with "Puppy Love", Brenda Lee moved to #4 with "Sweet Nothin's" and Johnny Horton was moving up with "Sink The Bismark".

This Date in Rock Music History: April 17

1960: While touring in the U.K., 21-year-old Eddie Cochran was killed when the taxi he was taking crashed into a lamp post in Chippenham, Wiltshire, England.  Cochran died at a hospital in Bath, Somerset, England.  Singer Gene Vincent was also seriously injured but survived the crash.
1961:  Ray Charles landed the #1 R&B song with "One Mint Julep".
1961: "Blue Moon" was #1 for the second week in a row for the Marcels.  Del Shannon's classic "Runaway" was making its move at #2. The rest of the Top Five: "Mother-In-Law" by Ernie K-Doe was #3, Floyd Cramer had #4 with "On The Rebound" and Clarence Henry was at 5 with "But I Do".
1962: Tony Bennett began recording his first song, "Boulevard Of Broken Dreams".  (Note:  some websites claim he recorded the song on this date, as if he completed it in one day.  Bennett finished the song on April 20, according to the book 'All the Things You Are:  The Life of Tony Bennett' by David Evanier.)
1964: Van Morrison and Them made their first public appearance at the Maritime Hotel in Belfast, Northern Ireland.
1965: Bob Dylan's first album The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan topped the U.K. Album charts.
1965:  Roger Miller dominated the Easy Listening chart for a 10th week with "King Of The Road".

This Date in Rock Music History: April 16

1955:  Elvis Presley appeared at the Big D Jamboree at the Sportatorium in Dallas Texas.
1956:  Buddy Holly released his first single, "Blue Days, Black Nights".
1963:  The Beatles made their television debut on BBC-TV's The 625 Show.
1964:  Dean Martin recorded "Everybody Loves Somebody".
1964:  The Rolling Stones released their debut album in the U.K.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 15

1956:  Elvis Presley appeared at the Municipal Auditorium in San Antonio, Texas.
1958:  Buddy Holly's Fender Stratocaster guitar was stolen while the group was having lunch prior to a concert in St. Louis, Missouri.
1960:  The Dick Clark movie Because They're Young, featuring James Darren and Duane Eddy, opened in New York.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 14

1956:  Bobby Helms ("Jingle Bell Rock") signed with Decca Records.
1958:  The Champs celebrated a third week at #1 on the R&B chart with "Tequila".

This Date in Rock Music History: April 13

1959:  The Fleetwoods had the #1 song with "Come Softly To Me".
1962:  The Beatles began performing at the Star Club in Hamburg, Germany, the city's newest rock & roll venue.  The band would play 3-4 hours a night for 48 days with one day off. 
1963:  Andy Williams grabbed the #1 spot on the Easy Listening chart with "Can't Get Used To Losing You".

This Date in Rock Music History: April 12

1954:  Bill Haley & the Comets recorded (We're Gonna') Rock Around The Clock", the song that started the Rock Era, at the Pythian Temple Studios in New York City.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 11

1956:  James Brown made his debut on the R&B charts with "Please, Please, Please".
1960:  Dinah Washington & Brook Benton had the #1 R&B song for the 10th week--"Baby (You've Got What It Takes)".
1967:  The Elvis Presley song "Stuck On You" recorded the fourth biggest jump in rock history, moving from #84 to #17 on this date. 

This Date in Rock Music History: April 10

1956:  Nat "King" Cole was attacked on stage by five racial weirdos during a show at the Municipal Hall in Birmingham, Alabama.  Police arrested the sick people, hauled them to jail, and Cole returned later that night to thrill the crowd in a second show.

1957:  Ricky Nelson performed for the first time on the television show The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet, singing "I'm Walking".

1958:  Bobby Darin recorded "Splish Splash" at Atlantic Studios in New York City.  

This Date in Rock Music History: April 9

1963:  Henry Mancini won the Oscar for Best Original Song (for "Moon River" from Breakfast at Tiffany's) at the Academy Awards.
1964:  Capitol Records won the rights to distribute music by the Beatles in the U.S. in a settlement out of court with Vee Jay Records.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 8

1956:  Elvis Presley played two shows at the Denver Coliseum in Colorado.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 7

1956:  Columbia Records announced that all future record releases would be at 45 R.P.M.
1956:  The Platters appeared on Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey's Stage Show on CBS.  (Note:  many websites claim the appearance represented their national television debut.  This is not true.  They appeared on 'The Perry Como Show' on February 11 on NBC-TV, as you can see in the above video clip.  This is also confirmed by 'TV.com' as well as the book 'Perry Como:  A Biography and Complete Career Record' by  Malcolm Macfarlane and Ken Crossland.) 
1956:  CBS Radio Network premiered the first scheduled national radio program of exclusively rock & roll music, Alan Freed's "Rock 'n" Roll Dance Party".  The writing was on the wall that rock & roll wasn't going away.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 6

1956:  Elvis Presley signed a seven-year, three-movie contract with Paramount Pictures.  (Note:  some websites report that Elvis signed a three-movie deal with Paramount on April 4.  Some sites claim that Presley signed a one-picture deal, with an option for six more, on April 25.  According to the book 'The Gospel According to Elvis' by Kevin Crouch and Tanya Crouch, Presley signed his first contract, a seven-year, three-movie contract, on April 6.  The April 6 date is confirmed by the newspaper 'The Chicago Tribune', as well as the official website for guitarist Scotty Moore.) 

1957:  Fats Domino held off the competition to remain at #1 for a third week on the R&B chart with "I'm Walkin'".

This Date in Rock Music History: April 5

 
1962:  In 1962, you would find the Beatles performing often at the Cavern Club in their native Liverpool, and that's where they were on this day 49 years ago.  It was a special occasion sponsored by their ever-growing fan club.  
1964:  The Searchers made their U.S. debut with an appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1967:  The Elvis Presley movie Double Trouble premiered in theaters.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 4

1956:  Elvis Presley played the first of two nights in San Diego Arena.  The San Diego Police chief released a statement saying that if he ever performed like he did again, he would be arrested for disorderly conduct.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 3

 
1956:  Elvis Presley performed "Heartbreak Hotel", "Shake Rattle and Roll" and "Blue Suede Shoes" on The Milton Berle Show live from the USS Hancock in San Diego.  Nielsen Ratings estimated that one out of four Americans tuned in.
1958:  Bill Haley & the Comets began a month-long tour of South America, performing in Buenos Aires.  (Note:  many websites claim the tour began April 9.  Haley and his group boarded a plane in Miami on April 2 and arrived in South American on April 3.  According to the book 'Bill Haley' by Otto Fuchs, the Comets began their tour on April 3.)
1960:  Elvis recorded "It's Now Or Never" and "Are You Lonesome Tonight?" at the RCA studios in Nashville, Tennessee for his upcoming album.
1960:  The Everly Brothers made their U.K. concert debut at the New Victoria Theatre in London.  The Crickets opened for the Brothers on the tour, a year-and-a-half after the death of Buddy Holly.  (Note:  many websites report that the tour began on April 6, but the correct date is April 3, as reported in the March 28th edition of 'Billboard' magazine.)
1961:  Paul Anka starred on Make Room for Daddy on CBS-TV.

This Date in Rock Music History: April 2

1955:  Elvis Presley, Johnny Horton and Floyd Cramer were featured on the famous Louisiana Hayride broadcast from Shreveport Auditorium.
1955:  We first heard of Pat Boone on this date as his first single "Two Hearts" debuted on the chart and on the radio.


1955:  Johnny Ace reached double digits as "Pledging My Love" topped the R&B chart for the tenth week.
1964:  The Beatles made it four #1 songs in the U.K. with "Can't Buy Me Love".  The single scored 2.1 million in advanced copies, still an all-time record.
1964:  The Beach Boys recorded "I Get Around", which would soon become their first #1 song.
1965:  The television show Ready Steady Goes Live! premiered in the U.K.
1965:  The Who made their debut on radio on the U.K. show Joe Loss Pop Show.
1966:  Sonny & Cher, the Turtles, the Mamas and the Papas, Donovan, Otis Redding and Jan & Dean all appeared at a charity concert at the Hollywood Bowl.
1966:  SSgt. Barry Sadler spent a fifth week at #1 on the Adult chart with "The Ballad Of The Green Berets".





                                       One of the Mamas & Papas greatest songs...

1965:  "The Ballad Of The Green Berets" remained at #1 for the fifth week overall.  The Rolling Stones held on to #2 with "19th Nervous Breakdown" while the Righteous Brothers moved from 8 to 3 with "(You're My) Soul And Inspiration".  Lovin' Spoonful owned #4--"Daydream" while Simon & Garfunkel remained fifth with "Homeward Bound".  The rest of the Top 10:  "Nowhere Man" from the Beatles, the Mamas and the Papas maintained with "California Dreamin'", Nancy Sinatra's former #1 "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'" fell to #8, Cher moved from 17 to 9 with a solo hit--"Bang Bang (My Baby Shot Me Down)" and Gary Lewis & the Playboys grabbed #10 with "Sure Gonna Miss Her".
1967:  The Rolling Stones had more trouble at their concerts when 154 Austrian fans were arrested after a riot broke out at the Town Hall in Vienna, Austria.
1968:  Jimi Hendrix appeared in concert at the Paul Suave Arena in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
1969:  Bruce Springsteen and his group Child appeared at the Pandemonium Club in Wanammasa, New Jersey.
1970:  Phil Spector completed final editing and mixing for the Beatles' Let It Be album.








1971:  Ringo Starr released his first solo record "It Don't Come Easy".  (Note:  some websites naively say the song was released on April 16 in the U.S.  "It Don't Come Easy" debuted on the Singles chart on April 7, 1971.  It is physically impossible for a song to be included on the Singles chart if it has not yet been released as a single.)

1973:  John Lennon and Yoko Ono held a press conference at the New York City Bar Association to discuss their side of the story in the United States Immigration Department's attempt to deport John.  (Note:  numerous websites claim the press conference was on April 2, 1972.  Lennon was not ordered to leave the U.S. until March 23, 1973, so that alone would make the 1972 claim nonsensical.  According to the book 'The John Lennon Handbook:  Everything you need to know about John Lennon' by Emily Smith, the correct date is April 1, 1973.  )
1973:  The Beatles released the double compilation album 1962-1966, commonly known as The Red Album, in the U.S.
1973:  The Beatles released the double compilation album 1967-1970, commonly known as The Blue Album, in the U.S.
1975:  The Bay City Rollers had the #1 U.K. song with their remake of the Four Seasons' song "Bye Bye Baby".  It would finish the year as the best-selling song.







1977:  ABBA controlled the Singles chart with their fifth #1 in the U.K., "Knowing Me, Knowing You", a Top 10 song in over 15 countries.
1977:  "Southern Nights" by Glen Campbell racked up a fourth week at #1 on the Adult chart.
1977:  Foreigner's first career single was hot--"Feels Like The First Time" moved from 89 to 70.

Paul McCartney had his 86th career hit, as a member of the Beatles, Wings, and his solo projects...

1977:  Hall & Oates were at #1 with "Rich Girl", holding off ABBA's attempt at their first #1 stateside with "Dancing Queen".  Actor David Soul was at #3 with "Don't Give Up On Us" while Thelma Houston continued to edge up with "Don't Leave Me This Way".  The rest of the Top 10: Barbra Streisand's #1 smash "Evergreen" was down to 5, Glen Campbell bounded up from 16-6 with "Southern Nights", 10cc with "The Things We Do For Love", the Eagles vaulted from 17-8 with "Hotel California", Natalie Cole crossed over with "I've Got Love On My Mind" and Wings landed #10 with "Maybe I'm Amazed".







1977:  Fleetwood Mac enjoyed the first week of many at #1 with the landmark album Rumours.  The group began a seven-day tour of the U.K. at the Odeon in Birmingham, England.

1979:  Bob Seger released the single "Old Time Rock & Roll".
1981:  CBS announced the "Nice Price" promotion of back catalog items.  Early LP's from Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Billy Joel, ABBA and Janis Joplin could be picked up for just  £2.99.
1983:  Pink Floyd released The Final Cut in the United States, their last album with Roger Waters.  The album had been released on March 21 in the U.K.









1983:  We first heard of an Irish band that would become of the all-time best.  "New Year's Day", U2's first single, debuted on the chart and on the radio.
1983:  Pink Floyd had the top album in the U.K. with The Final Cut.
1983:  Lionel Richie had one of The Top Adult Contemporary Songs of the 1980's, as "You Are" spent a sixth week at #1.
1983:  "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson enjoyed an eighth week at #1 on the R&B chart.  

  "Make Believe" helped make 'Toto IV 'one of the great albums of the Rock Era...

1983:  Thriller by Michael Jackson was #1 on the Album chart for the sixth week.  Frontiers from Journey took second with H2O by Hall & Oates third.  Men At Work's long-running #1 Business As Usual remained in the #4 spot while Styx moved from 10 to 5 with Kilroy Was Here.  The rest of the Top 10:  Rio from Duran Duran, Lionel Richie's self-titled album, the Grammy Award-winning Toto IV was still at #8 after 50 weeks of release, Def Leppard's album Pyromania was #9 and The Distance from Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band fell to #10.









1983:  Al Jarreau's new release was gathering respect as "Mornin'" moved from #73 to #55.
1983:  "Billie Jean" by Michael Jackson was #1 for a fifth week.










1984:  Steve Perry, former lead singer of Journey, released his first solo single, "Oh Sherrie".
1987:  U2 began a North American tour to promote The Joshua Tree with a concert at the Arizona State Activity Center in Tempe.













1988:  Terence Trent D'Arby took over at #1 on the R&B chart with "Wishing Well".
1988:  Whitney Houston reached #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart with "Where Do Broken Hearts Go".
1990:  Eric Clapton was fined by Walton-on-Thames Magistrate Court after being arrested for speeding at 105 mph.
1990:  Nirvana was busy working on demos of "In Bloom", "Sappy", "Dive", "Lithium", "Pay To Play", "Imodium" and "Polly" at Smart Studios in Madison, Wisconsin.
1991:  Gloria Estefan had the #1 song "Coming Out Of The Dark".

1991:  Great human being LL Cool J donated a pair of sneakers to every student and teacher at The Thompson Middle School in Dorchester, Massachusetts after the school won the "Foot Locker Cool School Video" contest.
1993:  Roberta Flack appeared on the ABC soap opera, Loving.
1994:  Ace of Base had the #1 album with The Sign.
1995:  2Pac began a four-week stay at #1 with the album Me Against the World.
1997:  Joni Mitchell was reunited with Kilauren Gibb, the daughter she had given up for adoption in 1965.

1998:  The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame opened a new wing in Cleveland, Ohio.
1998:  Rob Pilatus of the ill-fated Milli Vanilli was found dead at age 32 in Frankfurt, Germany after taking a deadly dose of drugs and alcohol.

1998:  Metallica debuted the Poor Re-Touring Me Tour at the Newcastle Entertainment Centre in Newcastle, Australia.
2001:  Crazy Town was #1 with "Butterfly".
2001:  Mariah Carey signed the most lucrative recording deal in music history, signing with Virgin Records for $80 million, only to be paid off later not to do any more albums for them.








 
2003:  Edwin Starr, who gave us the timeless classic "War", died from a heart attack at his home in Bramcote, England at the age of 61.
2006:  John Lennon's schoolbook containing the 12-year-old's drawing of the Lewis Carroll poem The Walrus and the Carpenter" was auctioned off at the price of $239,733.  That poem was the inspiration for the 1967 hit "I Am The Walrus".
2008:  Apple's iTunes became the largest music retailer in the United States.  (Note:  some websites report that iTunes reached #1 on April 5, but an article by 'Ars Technica" shows that it occurred on April 2 with the release of the NPD MusicWatch Survey for the month that afternoon.)   
2011:  Richard Patterson, drummer of the Esquires, died at the age of 66 after suffering a neurological illness.






Born This Day:
 
1939:  Marvin Gaye was born in Washington, D.C.; died April 1, 1984 when he was shot one day prior to his 45th birthday by his father.










 
1941:  Dr. Demento (real name Barret Eugene Hansen), radio personality and creator of the "Funny Five", was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota.










 
1941:  Leon Russell was born in Lawton, Oklahoma; died November 13, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee of natural causes.
1943:  Glen Dale, guitarist and vocalist with the Fortunes, was born in Deal, Kent, England.
1946:  Kurt Winter, guitarist and songwriter of the Guess Who, was born in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada; died of kidney failure December 14, 1997.  (Note:  one website shows his birthday as April 14, 1948.  Some websites report his death being December 15, and another website claims his death was on December 22.  Kurt was born in April 2, according to the Manitoba Music Museum.  Winter died on December 14 according to the newspaper 'The Winnipeg Free Press'.) 
1952:  Leon Wilkeson, bassist for Lynyrd Skynyrd, was born in Newport, Rhode Island; was found dead in a Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida hotel room on July 27, 2001 after spending many years suffering from chronic liver and lung disease. 
1953:  David Robinson, drummer of the Cars, was born in Malden, Massachusetts.  (Note:  'MTV' reports that Robinson was born in Malden, Massachusetts, 'AllMusic.com" says he was born in Woburn, Massachusetts, and another website says he was born in Boston.  While there are no credible sources for his birthplace, our best research indicates David was born in Malden.)





 
1956:  Gregory Abbott ("Shake You Down") was born in Manhattan, New York.  (Note:  several websites claim he was born in New York City, and some say he was born in Harlem.  Harlem is a neighborhood, not a city, and will not be shown on an official birth certificate.  New York City contains several boroughs, each being officially census-designated with their own identities.  Abbott was born in Manhattan.) 
1961:  Keren Jane Woodward of Bananarama was born in Bristol, England.

1967:  Greg Camp, songwriter, guitarist and vocalist of Smash Mouth, was born in West Covina, California.
1979:  Jesse Carmichael, keyboardist for Maroon 5, was born in Boulder, Colorado.
1983:  Jasiel A. Robinson (Jung Joc) was born in Atlanta, Georgia.  (Note:  some websites report that he was born in College Park, Georgia.  While there are no credible sources as to his birthplace, our best research indicates he was born in Atlanta and raised in College Park.)

This Date in Rock Music History: April 1

1955:  George Martin became the head A&R man at Parlophone Records, a division of EMI.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 31

 
1949:  The 45 rpm single record was first introduced by RCA Victor, one year after the LP record was introduced by Columbia.  Both provided better sound quality and longer playing time than the 78 rpm that had been the standard.
1956:  Brenda Lee made her television debut on Ozark Jambouree on ABC, singing "Jambalaya".
1957:  Elvis Presley played two concerts at Olympia Stadium in Detroit before 24,000 fans.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 30

1957:  Buddy Knox became the first rock artist to write his own #1 song as "Party Doll" topped the charts.
1959:  "Venus" was her name, but it was also the name of the #1 song that Frankie Avalon had for the fourth week.  

This Date in Rock Music History: March 29

1961:  Governor Ernest Vandiver of Georgia declared it "Brenda Lee Day".

1963:  The Shadows had their fifth #1 in the U.K. with "Foot Tapper".
1964:  The Hollies, the Dave Clark Five, the Kinks and the Mojos began a U.K. tour at the Coventry Theatre.
1966:  Mick Jagger, lead singer of the Rolling Stones, was injured during a concert in Marseilles, France after a fan threw a chair at the stage, with the left leg of the chair hitting the surprised Mick just below the left eye.  Jagger had to have eight stitches.
1966:  Fans mobbed the Walker Brothers after they entered their hotel in Cheshire, England.  Two group members suffered concussions.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 28

1942: Frank Sinatra appeared on the charts for the first time with "Night And Day".
1957: Elvis Presley appeared live at the Chicago International Amphitheatre in Chicago, Illinois.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 27

1958: CBS announced the invention of stereophonic records.  The new discs could be played on existing record players, but when played on new stereo players, the listener could hear a much richer and fuller sound.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 26

1955:  Johnny Ace was still cooking with the #1 R&B song--"Pledging My Love" was there for a ninth week.
1956:  Elvis Presley had a screen test for the first of three days at Paramount Studios in Hollywood.  Presley performed two scenes from The Rainmaker.  (Note:  several websites report that the test was on April 1.  They're fooling you.  According to the books 'Elvis Presley:  194 Success Facts -Everything you Need to Know about Elvis Presley' by Helen French and 'Elvis Presley:  The King of Rock 'n' Roll' by Jean-Pierre Hornbach, as well as numerous other credible sources, Presley did his screen tests on March 26-28.) 

This Date in Rock Music History: March 25

1955:  The movie Blackboard Jungle, which introduced us to the song "Rock Around the Clock" by Bill Haley & the Comets, opened in theaters on March 25, 1955, according to many sources, including IMDB and CNN.
1956:  Alan Freed’s three-day Rock ‘n’ Roll Show in Hartford, Connecticut ended badly, as police arrested 11 teenagers and closed the theater.
1958:  After being sworn in as Private 53310761 the previous day, Elvis Presley received the regulation short back and sides haircut from army barber James Peterson.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 24

1956:  Les Baxter had the #1 song with "Poor People Of Paris".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 23

1959:  Brook Benton had the #1 song on the R&B chart with "It's Just A Matter Of Time".

1959:  "Venus" by Frankie Avalon spent a third week at #1.  
1961:  Elvis Presley recorded "Can't Help Falling In Love" at Radio Recorders in Hollywood, California.
1961:  Elvis Presley scored his seventh #1 in the U.K. with "Wooden Heart".
1963:  Ruby and the Romantics reached #1 on the R&B chart with "Our Day Will Come".  

This Date in Rock Music History: March 22

1956:  Carl Perkins broke four ribs and a shoulder when the car he was traveling in was involved in an accident that sadly claimed the life of his brother Jay.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 21

1952:  Alan Freed staged the Moondog Coronation Ball, billed as "the first-ever rock & roll stage show", at the Cleveland Arena in Cleveland, Ohio.  Acts included the Dominoes and Tiny Grimes.
1956:  Elvis Presley performed at the 4,000-seat YMCA Gymnasium in Lexington, North Carolina.  Tickets were $1 for general admission and $1.50 for reserved.
1957:  Elvis Presley, his father Vernon, and his mother Gladys, signed an official real estate contract to purchase the Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.  The official date of sale was several days later.
1960:  Dinah Washington & Brook Benton had the top R&B song for the sixth week with "Baby (You've Got What It Takes)".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 20

1959:  Bobby Rydell appeared on American Bandstand.

1960:  Elvis Presley recorded for the first time since being discharged from active service in the United States Army.  He recorded "Stuck On You" among others in a 12-hour session at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.  Scotty Moore and D.J. Fontana, who had quit Presley's touring band back in 1957, joined him in the studio but it would be their last time backing Elvis. 

1961:  Ricky Nelson began recording  "Hello Mary Lou".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 19

1955:  Johnny Ace ruled the R&B chart for an eighth week with "Pledging My Love".
1957:  Elvis Presley first viewed the Graceland mansion in Memphis, Tennessee.  He fell in love with it instantly, and agreed to purchase the property.  His mother, Gladys, had made a cash deposit of $1,000 (believed to be on March 16, with an official sales contract signed by his father Vernon (subject to Elvis's approval) on March 17.  The Presleys (Vernon, Gladys and Elvis) signed the official real estate contract on March 21, and the sale closed on March 26 (according to Heritage Auctions).  (Note:  some websites erroneously claim that Presley purchased the home on March 17.  He was on the set of the movie 'Loving You' in Hollywood, California on that date, and did not arrive in Memphis until 11:35 p.m. on March 18, according to several websites.  The official closing date was not until several days later.)

This Date in Rock Music History: March 18

1955:  For the seventh week, "Pledging My Love" by Johnny Ace set the pace on the R&B chart.  
1958:  Jerry Lee Lewis performed on American Bandstand on ABC-TV.
1959:  EMI Records announced that it had halted all production of 78 rpm records.
1960:  The Everly Brothers recorded "Cathy's Clown" at RCA Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. 
1960:  Dean Martin and Ricky Nelson joined John Wayne and Walter Brennan in the movie Rio Bravo, which opened in theaters. 

1962: Gary U.S. Bonds performed on The Ed Sullivan Show.
1965:  The Standells ("Dirty Water") were guests on an episode of The Munsters on NBC-TV.  (Note:  some websites claim the show aired on March 17.  According to the book 'Big Bang, Baby:  Rock Trivia' by Richard Crouse, the episode which starred the Standells aired March 18, 1965.)

This Date in Rock Music History: March 17

1956:  Carl Perkins made his television debut on Ozark Jamboree.

1956:  Elvis Presley appeared on Tommy & Jimmy Dorsey's Stage Show on CBS-TV.

1956:  Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers moved to #1 on the R&B chart with "Why Do Fools Fall In Love".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 16

1957:  Mickey and Sylvia moved to #1 on the R&B chart with "Love Is Strange".
1959:  The Platters moved to #1 in the U.K. with "Smoke Gets In Your Eyes".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 15

1956:  Elvis Presley hired Colonel Tom Parker as his manager.

1964:  Berry Gordy, Jr., the founder of Motown Records, and his wife celebrated the birth of son Kennedy William Gordy, who would later be known as Rockwell ("Somebody's Watching Me"), in Detroit, Michigan.
1964:  The Rolling Stones began a tour of the U.K. at the Invicta Ballroom in Chatham, Kent, England.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 14

1955: CBS talent scout Arthur Godfrey turned down Elvis Presley for a recording contract, opting to sign Pat Boone instead.  Big mistake, Arthur. 
1955: Elvis Presley was interviewed on The Jimmy Dean television show.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 13

1956:  Elvis Presley released his self-titled debut album on RCA Records, believed to be the first album to sell one million copies.
1961:  Rick Nelson recorded "Travelin' Man".
1961:  Chubby Checker took over at #1 on the R&B chart with "Pony Time".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 12

1957:  Buddy Holly & the Crickets recorded "Maybe Baby". at Norman Petty's studio in Clovis, New Mexico.

1965:  The Beatles finished the filming of the movie Help!  in the Bahamas.
1965:  James Darren was a guest voice (as "Jimmy Darrock") on the season finale of The Flintstones on ABC-TV.
1966:  Wilson Pickett latched onto #1 on the R&B chart with "634-5789 (Soulsville, U.S.A.)".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 11

1963:  The Rolling Stones recorded five tracks at IBC Recoding Studio in London with engineer Glyn Johns, who produced the session, in the hopes of landing a recording contract.  (Note:  some websites report the date of recording as January 28, but according to 'StonesSessions.com', Rolling Stones fan sites, and our best research, the songs were recorded on March 11.)

1964:  After completing the train scenes over the last several days, the Beatles continued to work on the movie A Hard Day's Night, filming "I Should Have Known Better" at Twickenham Studios in London.
1965:  Tom Jones scored the first of 16 #1 songs in the U.K. with "It's Not Unusual".
1966:  The BBC television show Ready Steady Go was devoted entirely to James Brown.

1967:  "Yesterday" by the Beatles became the most covered version in history with 446 versions since the Fab Four released it in 1965.  As of June, 2014, that number had grown to over 4,000.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 10

1956:  The incredible Platters spent an 11th week at #1 on the R&B chart with their classic "The Great Pretender".

1958:  Most would not know this artist until a year later, but on this date, Brook Benton first appeared on the chart with his debut single "A Million Years From Nowhere".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 9

1959:   "It's Just A Matter Of Time" by Brook Benton climbed to #1 on the R&B chart.
1960:   Since Elvis Presley had returned from service in the United States Army, the movie Jailhouse Rock was re-released.  (Note:  some websites state that the film was re-released to coincide with Presley's discharge.  As explained earlier on 'Inside The Rock Era', (see March 5 on Calendar*), Presley left active service on March 5, but he was not officially discharged from the Army Reserve until 1964.) 

France and the United Kingdom pass the United States in Pageviews!

In the four years since we first began, the United States has led the way in viewership of Inside The Rock Era.

This month, however, both France and the United Kingdom have passed the U.S.  merci à tous nos amis français and thanks to our U.K. fans!

This Date in Rock Music History: March 8

1961:  That hard-working group the Beatles did three shows today, their usual lunchtime performance at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, England and concerts at the Aintree Institute and Hambleton Hall in Liverpool.

1962:  The Beatles made their debut on the BBC in Great Britain on Teenager's Turn (recorded the night before), performing "Dream Baby", "Maybelline" and "Please Mr. Postman".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 7

1956:  Kay Starr ("Rock And Roll Waltz") suffered a serious car accident after running a stop sign in Corona, California.  She was hospitalized with neck, arm and leg injuries.

1960:  Percy Faith remained perched at the top for a third week with the great instrumental "Theme From 'A Summer Place'".  
1964:  Al Hirt had the top Easy Listening song for the third week with "Java".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 6

1951:    Ivor Novello, singer and composer from Wales, died of of coronary thrombosis in London at age 58. The annual British songwriter award is named after him.
1958:  The Everly Brothers recorded "All I Have to Do is Dream".
1961:  "Shop Around" by the Miracles was the #1 song on the R&B chart for the eighth week.
1962:  Frank Sinatra recorded his final session with Capitol Records in Hollywood, California.  He then recorded exclusively for his own Reprise label.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 5

1955:  Johnny Ace had the top R&B song for the fourth week with "Pledging My Love".

1957:  Disc jockey Alan Freed was a guest on To Tell the Truth on CBS-TV.
1959:  Bobby Darin recorded "Dream Lover".

This Date in Rock Music History: March 4

1959:  Peter Gunn by Henry Mancini won Album of the Year at the first Grammy Awards.  "Volare" by Domenico Modugno took Record of the Year honors.

This Date in Rock Music History: March 3

1955: Elvis Presley made his local television debut on The Louisiana Hayride show. The show was broadcast on KWKH-TV from Municipal Auditorium in Shreveport, Louisiana. Presley had been performing on The Hayride since October 16, 1954. (Note:  As more time goes by, people make up their own information, and you will note that several websites erroneously list dates for the debut as March 4, March 5, or even March 26. Some sites also mistakenly say that the station which broadcast the show was KWKH. According to the book 'Elvis Presley: The King of Rock 'n' Roll' by Jean-Pierre Hombach, the correct date is March 3, and the call letters of the television station were KSLA, the CBS affiliate in Shreveport.)